“I’m not so sure. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we say good-bye for now, and you save my phone number and call me tomorrow after school. In the meantime, I’ll call your mom and see if I can’t arrange a visit.”

“That would be great. I will call you at five minutes after three tomorrow when I get off the bus, okay?”

“I am writing it down in my agenda.”

“Uncle Dominic?”

“Yes?”

“I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but I’m super excited and can’t wait. Since you’re so far away, it’s okay if I tell you, right?”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

She giggled. “I’m getting a baby brother or sister soon,” she whispered. “Mom told me last week.”

Isabella was pregnant. I felt taken aback, left out almost. Like everyone was getting on with the living of their lives, and I was stuck here, in the past, alone.

“That’s great, honey. I’m excited for you.” I hoped she couldn’t hear the effort it took me to say that.

“I’ll be able to babysit her too. And I’m not doing it for free!”

I laughed. “Nor should you.”

“Effie!” I heard Isabella’s voice. “Give me that phone, young lady. You know you’re not allowed to be on it after eight.”

“Gotta go!”

She hung up. I smiled to myself, wondering when we’d finally tell her the truth. Tell her I was her father.

I held on to the phone, knowing it would ring in the next minute, and right on cue, it did. I answered.

“Why are you calling her at ten o’clock on a school night?” Isabella asked.

“Because I should never have stopped calling her.”

We made arrangements for me to fly to Florida the following week. Surprisingly, Isabella wasn’t opposed to it. Maybe it was because we were in agreement that we wouldn’t tell her until she was an adult that I was her father. It was just safer that way, especially now that I’d taken over the Benedetti family. I had enemies before, and I would have more now. And I wouldn’t make her a target for those enemies.

Reuniting with Effie was more wonderful than I could have imagined. I needed her sweet innocence, her clever way of looking at things, and her carefree nature. I spent a week in a hotel nearby and took her to school and picked her up daily. Over the weekend, we drove down to the Keys to visit Salvatore and Lucia and meet my other nieces and brand-new nephew. Lucia tolerated my presence but was too tired to do much of anything but feed little Sergio, who was born weighing over ten pounds and had the exact same eyes of his namesake.